“Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” (Revelation 5:5)
This blog is focused on the end-times and the events leading to Jesus' return to fully take possession and control of the earth He created.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI called divisions among Christians a "scandal to the world" and recalled the faith's deep roots in Europe at a joint ceremony Thursday with the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians at his ancient enclave. Benedict has made outreach to the world's more than 250 million Orthodox a centerpiece of his young papacy and has set the difficult goal of full unity between the two ancient branches of Christianity, which split nearly 1,000 years ago over disputes including the extent of papal authority.

It's also a key part of the pope's drive to reinforce the Christian bonds in Europe and around the world. He said all Christians should "renew Europe's awareness of its Christian roots, traditions and values, giving them new vitality."

JJ Commentary: Hard to believe that the Pope is calling for unity when Catholicism has long positioned itself in exclusive terms, as in the long-running, often deadly conflict with Protestantism in England and Ireland. But he’s right. Jesus called for unity in his last recorded prayer in John 17 where He warned that disunity would cause the world not to believe in Him

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

President Bush said Tuesday that he wants more countries in a program that allows foreigners to stay in the USA without visas, despite criticism that the move could open the door to terrorists. "We want people to come to our country," Bush said in Tallinn, Estonia, one of several European countries that have asked to be included in the visa-waiver program, in which 27 foreign countries now participate. "It's in our nation's interest that people be able to come and visit."

Bush said his administration aims to add more countries to the program, created to facilitate tourism and business travel 15 years before the 9/11 attacks increased fears of terrorism. He pledged to ensure that "those that want to continue to kill Americans aren't able to exploit the system."

JJ Commentary: Not able to exploit the system? Naïve at best. Seems like a dangerous idea given our problems with immigration, but a definite New World (Dis)Order strategy to eliminate our national borders

Monday, November 27, 2006

Out-of-wedlock births in the United States have climbed to an all-time high, accounting for nearly four in 10 babies born last year, government health officials said Tuesday. While out-of-wedlock births have long been associated with teen mothers, the teen birth rate actually dropped last year to the lowest level on record. Instead, births among unwed mothers rose most dramatically among women in their 20s.

Experts said the overall rise reflects the burgeoning number of people who are putting off marriage or living together without getting married. They said it also reflects the fact that having a child out of wedlock is more acceptable nowadays and not necessarily the source of shame it once was.

JJ Commentary: This is the result of the attacks against the sanctity of marriage and another marker on our road to Sodom and Gemorrah.

As homosexuals and lesbians in Africa celebrate the legalization of same-sex "marriage" in South Africa, the head of one of the continent's leading church associations has chosen not to speak out on the matter. Rev. Mvume Ndadala, general secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC), said in comments made through a personal assistant that the AACC represented a "diversity" of Christians, and it would be inappropriate to give a common perspective on the issue.

The remarks are seen here as indicating that mainline churches in Africa may be softening their stance on same-sex unions, despite the strong objections by many Christian and traditionalist Africans. The AACC is an ecumenical fellowship representing more than 120 million Christians in 39 African countries. South Africa last week became the first country in Africa to legalize same-sex "marriages" when parliament approved the move following sometimes rancorous political debate across the country.

JJ Commentary: It is the lack of speaking out that has allowed the enemy to impose his agenda on our governments. This alone is reason enough for Christians to get involved in political issues and not remain with their heads stuck in the sand.

Two particular books, Conversations with God and Conversations with God for Teens, written by Neale D. Walsch , sound harmless enough by their titles alone. These books have been on the New York Times best sellers list for a number of weeks, and these publications make truth of the statement, "Don't judge a book by its cover/title." The author purports to answer various questions from kids using the "voice of God". However, the "answers" that he gives are not Bible-based and go against the very infallible word of God.

For instance, when a girl asks the question "Why am I a lesbian?" His answer is that she was born that way because of genetics (just as you were born right-handed, with blue eyes, etc.). Then he tells her to go out and "celebrate" her differences. Another girl poses the question "I am living with my boyfriend. My parents say that I should marry him because I am living in sin. Should I marry him?" His reply is, "Who are you sinning against? Not me, because you have done nothing wrong." Another question asks about God's forgiveness of sin. His reply "I do not forgive anyone because there is nothing to forgive. There is no such thing as right or wrong and that is what I have been trying to tell everyone, do not judge people.

JJ Commentary: Any doubts about whether the New Age secular humanist religion has taken over the media and the hearts and minds of many, if not most, people are laid to rest with these “best sellers.” To purport to be the voice of God is blasphemy of the worst sort. To believe that this is the voice of God, is to fall victim to worst of deceptions leading only to the pit of eternal torment. Father have mercy upon them and give them one more chance to hear the voice of the One True God.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

GENEVA (AP) — The United Nations said Wednesday that 3,709 Iraqi civilians were killed in October, the highest monthly toll since the March 2003 U.S. invasion and another sign of the severity of Iraq's sectarian bloodbath. The report painted a grim picture across the board, from attacks on journalists, judges and lawyers and the worsening situation of women to displacement, violence against religious minorities and the targeting of schools.

JJ Commentary: Say what you will about Christianity, but we don't see Methodists killing Baptists. A Religion of peace? I think not.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

JERUSALEM — In a landmark ruling, Israel's Supreme Court ordered the government Tuesday to recognize same-sex marriages performed abroad. The lone dissenter on the seven-judge panel was an observant Jew, highlighting the controversy touched off among ultra-Orthodox Jews and other conservative groups. Moshe Negbi, a legal expert, said the court's decision is mostly symbolic because gay couples in Israel already had many of the rights of heterosexual partnerships. The significant changes are that they will now get the same tax breaks as a married couple and be able to adopt children, Negbi said.

JJ Commentary: Any lingering notion about whether the Israeli government is secular or religious should be laid to rest with this report.

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Soon, restrooms at the University of Arizona will come in at least three varieties: men's, women's and "gender neutral". The UA has adopted a "Statement on Restroom Access" to make relieving oneself a bit less stressful for transgender people and other folks who feel uncomfortable with standard gender labeling. While not an official policy, the statement, when read to a meeting of the UA's Faculty Senate, was presented as another step in keeping with the university's policy of non-discrimination. The action moves the UA to the front of the line as the first Pac-10 school to have such a statement, said Jeanne Kleespie, assistant vice president for equal opportunity and affirmative action.

JJ Commentary: Makes you feel proud of Arizona, doesn’t it? No, I didn’t think so. But I think it doesn’t go far enough. After all, do we want gay men sharing the rest room with heterosexual men? If we want to pee in peace, we need heterosexual and homosexual restrooms as well.

HANOI (AP) — President Bush, trying to fortify global pressure on North Korea, on Saturday backed Pacific Rim leaders in demanding that the communist regime abandon its nuclear weapons program. In Hanoi for the annual summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, Bush worked to preserve U.S. solidarity with five nations getting ready to restart nuclear negotiations with Pyongyang.

The White House endorsed a statement all 21 Pacific Rim members will issue to express their worries about North Korea's first nuclear test on Oct. 9 and its missile launches in July. "I think we're pleased with that statement and I think it will be a good contribution to the diplomacy," National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley told reporters.

JJ Commentary: The continued naïveté of the world astounds me. North Korea and Iran will not ever abandon their nuclear ambitions. They will occasionally pretend to negotiate, but that is only stalling for more time. Nor will sanctions deter them. We need to either live with this or do something about it

Friday, November 17, 2006

A book that family organizations in Canada had warned about just weeks ago found its way into the Wal-Mart stock list, and while it calls God a "fat black dyke" and provides how-to information for same-sex experimentation, the store said it's the "stuff youth need to know." It's called "The Little Black Book for Girlz: A Book on Healthy Sexuality", produced by St. Stephens' Community House in Toronto, an organization that has fled its Christian foundation.

While Wal-Mart calls it "a great mix of real-life examples and life-saving info," it includes sections called, "My First Time F---ing a Girl" and other obscenities. It has information on "safe" sex devices and assures its audience that condoms are 100 percent effective in preventing sexually transmitted diseases, even though the World Health Organization, a longtime condom supporter, admits they fail one out of five times. The graphic manual promotes lesbianism to young girls, gives explicit instructions for engaging in oral or anal sexual acts and instructs girls that only 10 percent of the population is heterosexual.

JJ Commentary: Wal-Mart, along with Ford, has become the leading proponent of the homosexual agenda. Just as the boycott of Ford is having a tremendous impact on their bottom line, so too do we need to initiate a boycott of Wal-Mart.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- A suspected Islamic militant told judges Wednesday he took part in the beheadings of three Christian girls on an Indonesian island wracked by religious violence to avenge the deaths of Muslims, but apologized to their families."We are not cold-blooded killers," Hasanuddin, 34, told the Central Jakarta District Court. "We just wanted revenge."

JJ Commentary: The word "just" is (mis)used time and again to just-ify and rationalize criminal behavior, whether it's the petty thief or an Islamic terrorist. "Vengeance is mine, I will repay" says God not once, but three times, in the Bible (Deuteronomy 32:35, quoted again in Romans 12:19 and Hebrews 10:30). As even the world, says, "Two wrongs don't make it right." True just-ice can only come from a holy, righteous God, not in our hands.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

The head of a Minnesota-based ministry says the United States needs to take serious note of what happens when an entire continent dumps Christianity. Messianic Jewish believer Jan Markell of Olive Tree Ministries believes Europe is imploding because it has turned its back on Christ. According to AgapePress, Markell notes that while Christian churches continue to shut down all over Europe, mosques continue to spring up as the Islamic population soars in countries like Great Britain, France, and Germany. Europe has turned its back on God, the Olive Tree Ministries founder and director asserts, and she says she does not think God "takes that very kindly, when He is just plain thrown off of a continent."

Meanwhile, Markell says European officials are "appeasing or trying to appease Islam over in Europe, and you can't." Radical Islamists cannot be appeased, she says, because "they don't assimilate anywhere. They want their own society; but more frightening than that is, they want Sharia law. They want Muslim law where they move into." European governments are being "politically correct," the ministry founder observes, and she says they are thinking that "if we just do right by these Muslims that are right now burning down much of France, they're going to like us." But those who think this way are dead wrong, Markell insists, because radical Muslims "are never going to like the West.

JJ Commentary: There is no appeasement and no cohabitation with radical Islamists, which is in fact what the Quran teaches. Only if the "infidels" (i.e. all non-Muslims) agree to live under Sharia law (i.e. become second class citizens) is there any possibility of co-mingling. Give the Islamic fascists an inch and they'll take a thousand miles if they can.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI has called a meeting Thursday with top Vatican officials to discuss lifting the celibacy requirement for priests seeking to marry or who have already married. Benedict called the summit to examine the implications of the "disobedience" of Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, the Zambian prelate excommunicated in September for installing four married American men as bishops, the Vatican said Monday.

The Vatican stressed the meeting would not open a general discussion of the celibacy requirement but would only examine requests for dispensation made by priests wishing to marry and requests for readmission made by clergy who had married in recent years.

JJ Commentary: In an age where Biblical principles are constantly being compromised, priests marrying is a principle without a Biblical basis, except for Paul’s stated preference. Allowing priests to marry would help minimize the problem of molestation and sexual abuse that has plagued the Catholic church these past few years.

MADISON, Wis. — A federal lawsuit filed Monday accuses the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs of violating the constitutional rights of Wiccans because the government does not allow its symbol on headstones in national cemeteries. But a Wiccan symbol representing earth, air, fire, water and spirit isn't recognized by the federal government for veterans' grave markers. "I honestly think there must be some people who don't want to acknowledge that the Wiccan religion should be entitled to the same rights as other religions," said Selena Fox, who is senior minister of the Wiccan Circle Sanctuary in Barneveld.

Stewart, whose husband was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, was rebuffed by federal veterans' officials when she sought approval to affix the pentacle to the Veterans' Memorial Wall in Nevada, but state officials said they would erect a plaque with the symbol.

JJ Commentary: Jesus said that we’re either with Him or against Him, no middle ground. Well, the USA is either a Christian nation or it is not. When America first formed, this was not an issue. Now, through tolerance and relativism, we have opened Pandora’s box. Lord, have mercy upon us.

SAN FRANCISCO — A month after an appeals court ruled against same-sex marriage, the city and about a dozen homosexual couples have filed an appeal to the California Supreme Court. Gay marriage advocates hope to overturn the ruling that said limiting marriage to a man and a woman does not violate the constitutional rights of gays and lesbians.

In October, the 1st District Court of Appeal ruled in a 2-1 vote that, among other things, it was not the judiciary's role to define marriage — since 61% of California voters in 2000 declared marriage as a union between a man and a woman under Proposition 22.

JJ Commentary: Talk about a Pandora’s box! For a change, the judges got it right.

So, what do we make of these 2006 elections? Why did we suffer such an astonishingly severe disaster?

Political pundits explain that it was a combination of two factors: 1) Liberal voters were turned off by the war in Iraq and President Bush; 2) Conservative voters were turned off by the Republican Party and President bush because they had not followed through on the "values" agenda which got them elected in the first place.

From a spiritual perspective, I believe that the anti-Christ forces outdid Christ's army. Does that mean we didn't pray or work hard enough? That depends on how "we" is defined. The "we" who participated in the two 40-day, 24/7 "sieges" or the seven 240hour Saturdays in Yavapai County or similar efforts did as much or more than required. The "we" who comprise the rest of the body of Christ performed miserably by not voting, not caring, not praying, not working for Godly government.

Apathy, complacency were the order of the day. Worse, many Christians believe we shouldn't be involved in politics (even though the Bible says the government is on Jesus' shoulders - Isaiah 9:6). Even worse, many Christians believe the lie of "separation of church and state" which appears in no official document (just in a letter from Thomas Jeferson to the Danbury, Conn. Baptist Church).

And why did Arizona become the first state in the nation that failed to pass the marriage amendment? First, in the natural, the language that was added to the amendment to say what a no vote meant caused confusion. Second, in the spiritual realm, Satan has heard all the prophecies about revival in Arizona, about Arizona "taking the point." Therefore, he marshalled his forces (demons, people and money) into Arizona more than anywhere else. The "remnant" in Arizona fought back hard and well - but the remnant wasn't enough.

So, what does this mean for the future? What about all those prophecies? The prophecies indicate that Arizona will lead the nation into revival. Government won't line up with God until the revival happens. So this must remain our primary focus.

This end-time revival will occur within and in spite of the devil's attacks. "For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peopel: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee" (Isaiah 60:2)

Scripture tells us that end-time government will all cometo worship the "beast" (i.e. the Babylonian system of finance and governance), so we must persevere in spitie of the situation in our nation (or any nation). "It was granted to him [i.e. Satan] to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue and nation (Rev. 13:7).

However, we know how it all turns out in the end, how we eventually will have the victory in spite of what our natural eyes and ears might show us. Therefore, the key is to persevere in faith. "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37).